Rep: Private group's plan could hinder commerce

Georgia Highway 316 a toll road?

State Rep. Bob Smith thinks a plan to privately develop Georgia Highway 316 may extract too great a toll on commuters and commercial development along the heavily traveled corridor.

Smith, R-Watkinsville, said he's wary of a private development group's recent $1 billion proposal for a seven-year upgrade which would turn the highway into a limited-access toll road.

The Parkway Group recently submitted a plan to the state Department of Transportation which envisions a one-way trip between Athens and Atlanta on Ga. 316 costing about $4.60. But Smith said that price might prove too high.

A toll at that level, he said, could shift commuter traffic to other routes and slow the exchange of commercial goods within north Georgia.

Smith said dealing with Ga. 316's safety issues and traffic problems is a priority, but he doesn't think motorists should have to foot the entire bill for improvements.

''They're printing money every day in Washington - let's get some of it down here,'' Smith said Tuesday. Smith said Northeast Georgia road projects deserve more federal money than they are getting.

Four years ago, Smith was part of a House study committee formed to speed up improvements on the highway. The group decided that making Ga. 316 a limited-access parkway was a desirable goal, but that federal and state funds should be used to work on a few interchanges at a time.

Smith said the committee estimated the cost of Ga. 316's improvements at significantly less than the $1 billion outlined in the Parkway Group proposal, and a toll was never mentioned.

Under regulations governing the new public-private road construction partnership, DOT has five days to notify the public of proposals from contractors and 30 days to decide whether to accept the project. Then, other contractors will have 90 days to put in competing proposals.

On Tuesday, state DOT spokesman Bert Brantley said the 30-day limit for the Parkway Group proposal for Ga. 316 expires on March 20, while the 90-day limit for competing proposals expires May 19. Brantley said the DOT has received no competing proposals thus far.

Smith said he's also concerned about when the toll booths would be removed from the road. Smith said he knows addressing the safety concerns of Ga. 316 are paramount, but he wants these and other questions answered before any construction begins.

''We need to do something to slow down the carnage on the highway,'' he said.